Projectile.



I, L BURKHARTZMEYER.

PROJECTILE.

APPLICATION HLED SEPT- 28, 1911.

1 ,278, 1 O4. Patented Sept. 10, 1918.

F/QZ v F/645.

INVENTOR WITNESSES WE W ATTORNEY m: mmms PLIERS co. puma-mun wumucmu. n c.

JACOB J. BURKHABTZMEYEB, or FARIIBAULT, MINNESOTA.

PROJECTILE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 10, 1918.

Application filed September 28, 1917. Serial No. 193,775.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAcon J. BURKHARTZ- MEYER, a citizen of Russia, residing at Faribault, in the county of Rice and State 'of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Projectiles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has relation to explosive containing projectiles adapted to be discharged from a gun, and has for an object to provide a projectile constructed in a mannor to cause ignition of itsexplosive con tents after the projectile has penetrated its object.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and novel exploding mechanism for an explosive containing shell.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an explosive containing shell having the characteristics above named, and means for preventing accidental explosion of the shell during handling.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a shell having its nose formed in a peculiar manner to permit rapid and effective penetration thereof in the object against which it is directed.

In addition to the foregoing, this invention comprehends improvements in the details of construction and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein similar and corresponding parts are designated by the same characters of reference throughout the several views in which they appear;

Figure 1 is a view in longitudinal section of an explosive containing shell constructed in accordance with my invention, and

Figs. 2 and 3 are transverse sections taken on the line 2-2 and 3-3 respectively of the preceding figure, and

Fig. 1 is a view in perspective of a band for encircling the shell.

With reference to the drawings, 10 indicates the shell proper, open at its rear end, and said end reduced circumferentially as at 11 to receive a removable cap 12 which serves as a closure for the rear end of the shell.

A transverse partition 14 is located within the shell at a point approximately intermediate its ends to define a compartment 15 in the forward end of the shell which is filled with explosive. A compartment 16 is defined at the opposite side of the partition to contain the mechanism whereby discharge within the forward compartment is exploded. This mechanism includes a disk 17 mounted centrally upon the rear face of the partition and having three, more or less openings arranged in uniform spaced relation which openings coincide with similar openings provided in the partition. The disk may be provided with circumferential flanges 18 to surround each opening where by to form a guide for pins 19 which extend through the flanges and openings and are provided upon their ends which project within the compartment 16 with eyes 20. The opposite ends of the pins 19, or those ends which extend into the forward compartment of the shell are frictionally held within caps 21 which are filled with fulminate, or some other chemical composition which will explode when abraded.

A base plate 22 is mounted within the cap 12 at the rear end of the shell and three standards 23 are mounted on said base plate to support small pulleys 24 in pivotal relation. In radial alinement with each standard 23, they container 10 of the shell is formed with an opening 25. Mounted on the base plate adjacent each opening is an oscillatably mounted member 26, each memher being substantially elliptical in configuration and provided with an extension 27.

Each oscillatably mounted member 26 is pivoted at a point adjacent one end as at 28 between and upon a pair of spaced ears 29 which are formed integral with the base plate 22 whereby the oscillatably mounted members may be moved from a position within the shell to a position wherein they project partly through the openings 25 in the side of the shell. What may be termed a trigger is indicated at 30, and one is provided for each oscillatably mounted member, the triggers being mounted at a point adjacent one of their ends upon the extensions 27 of the members 26, the opposite ends of the triggers being curved and directed forwardly. The end of each trigger adjacent its point of connection to the extension 27 is connected to a flexible element 31 at one end of said element, the element then being passed around an adjacent pulley 24 and connected at its opposite end to the eye 20 of one of the pins 19. Each oscillatebly mounted member is formed with a laterally extending flange 32 which is engage suitable support 38 shown intFig. :2 whererelieved of strain;

by to urge the members 26 outward through the openings in the side ofthe shell. When the shell is being handled, before its entrance into the gun, a band of metal or the like is slid on the shell or embraced thereabout to cover the openings 'whereby to retain, the oscillatably mounted members 26 and the triggers 30 entirely within'the shell whereby the flexible elements 31wvill be When the shell is inserted in the breach of a gun, the 'band will be slidrearwardlyfrom the shell by engagement'thereof with the rear end ofthe'gun. The oscillatably mounted members 26 and triggers 30 Will then engage the bore of the gun but will still be retained in an inward position. When the shellleaves the gun a rotary motion is impartedthereto by meansof the rifling in the bore of the gun'whereupon' the oscillatably mounted members 26' are thrown outward by action of the leaf spring 33, and

v thetriggers 80 are thrownoutward by actionof the centrifugal force due to' the rotation of the shell in its .fiight. It Will be noted that the paitshjafing assumed the position shown in Fig. 1,'the curved e'nds of the triggers 3 0 will be projecte'd forwardly whereupon after penetration of the shell it its object, 'theftriggers will be "engaged against theedges 'ot the openings in' the object' made by the entrance of the shell so as to place the flexible elements 81'under strain whereby the pins 19 are'withdrawn from the disk 17 supporting the same. Owing to the rapid withdrawal of the pin from the caps 21 mounted thereon, the caps being of a size too large to permit them to be drawn through the openings inwhiclr the pins'are 'held, the fulminate within the caps isignited thereby igniting the charge whose eflect will be more pronounced because of thelocation of the shell entirely within the object, as for instancethe hull of a vessel. I

WVhile I have illustrated and described my invention with'some degree of partic'ularity, realize that in practice various alterations therein may 'ibe made, and I therefore reserve the right and privilege of changing theform of the detailsyof' construction, or otherwise altering the arrangement of the correlated parts, without de parting-from the spirit of the invention or the scope of theiappendedclaims.

Having thus described my invention what I-cIaim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In'an explosive containing shellhaving a plurality of circumferentially spaced openings, aplurality of members mounted within the shell adjacent the openings, means for urging the members outward, a ban'd'encircling the shell toretainthe'members within the shell,'-triggers mounted on themembers adapted, whenthe band 'is'removed vto be projected fr'omth'e'sides of the shell'thr'o'ugh the openings whereby-they may engage an object atter" the "shell has penetrated the same, and means operable upon movement-of the triggers for igniting the charge,

2. Inanexplosive'containing shell having a plurality of circuinferential'openings, a member mounted for -oscillation opposite each opening Within theshell, resilient means urging the members outward, a band encircling the shell to retain the'members within t'h'eshell, atri'gger mounted on each member adaptecL'Whenthe shell "is rotated to be projected partly through the openings, andmeans operable upon movement of t'he triggers for eXploding the charge.

3. In an explosive shell having a plurality of circumferentially' spaced openings, a" plurality of members mounted in the' shell, one adjacent each opening, eachmember being substantially elliptical in configuration, a curved flange laterally extending from" one edge of each member, a leaf sprlng stationarily mounted-within the shell engaging the flange to urge the members outwardfa tangentially extending arm projecting 'from each member, a trigger pivotally mountedv on the extremity of each arm'adapted" tobe projected through the openin by centrifugal force, pulleys mounted wlthin the shell adjacent each member, igniting elements and flexible elements connecting said triggers with said igniting elements, and passing around the. pulleys.

*In testimony whereof I'afliX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

J'AooBJ; BURKHARTZMEYER.

M. A. JARBoE.

copies at this patent be ebtaiilefi forlfive' cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Ifa'tents.

' V Washington, D. 0., 

